Judge says Pa. drilling lawsuit is public record

WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) - A western Pennsylvania judge says the public has the right to see a sealed settlement between gas drilling companies and a family that claimed the drilling operations damaged their health.

Judge Debbie O'Dell-Seneca ruled Wednesday that openness in the court system is more important than the interests of the companies.

Stephanie and Chris Hallowich initiated a case against Range Resources, MarkWest Energy Partners and Williams Gas/Laurel Mountain Midstream Partners in 2010. The dispute was settled in July, 2011 but the companies asked that the records be sealed, and another judge agreed.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Washington Observer-Reporter challenged that decision, and O'Dell-Seneca ruled in their favor.

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File). FILE - This Monday, June 19, 2017, file photo shows a user signing in to Facebook on an iPad, in North Andover, Mass. Facebook has a problem it just can’t kick: People keep exploiting it in ways that could sway election...

(NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI via AP). This illustration provided by NASA shows the New Horizons spacecraft. On Wednesday, March 14, 2018, NASA said the spacecraft is headed toward a New Year’s Day 2019 encounter with a mysterious object nicknamed "Ultima Thule", ...

Florida bridge collapse: Road underneath Miami bridge bustled with drivers out on the most ordinary and unthreatening of life's tasks _ driving home from work, to the doctor when seconds would separate those who...More >>

Florida bridge collapse: Road underneath Miami bridge bustled with drivers out on the most ordinary and unthreatening of life's tasks _ driving home from work, to the doctor when seconds would separate those who died and those who lived.More >>

A Youngstown police officer is off the street at least temporarily, following an OVI arrest this weekend. 27-year-old Darrel Herdman was stopped by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Sunday, after allegedly driving while intoxicated.

A Youngstown police officer is off the street at least temporarily, following an OVI arrest this weekend. 27-year-old Darrel Herdman was stopped by the Ohio State Highway Patrol on Sunday, after allegedly driving while intoxicated.

A woman critically injured in a deadly ride accident at the Ohio State Fair would get nearly $1.8 million in a proposed settlement of her claims against the ride operator and companies that had inspected it.

A woman critically injured in a deadly ride accident at the Ohio State Fair would get nearly $1.8 million in a proposed settlement of her claims against the ride operator and companies that had inspected it.